Tom Bevan, co-founder and president of RealClearPolitics, told Newsmax on Tuesday that Republican senators have a procedural option to bypass what he described as a Democrat block on Homeland Security funding.
Bevan told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" that Republicans could use the budget reconciliation process to advance the funding with party unity, avoiding the need for Democrat support.
"They used it to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill [Act]," he said.
Bevan said the reconciliation process is limited but could be used in this case.
"It's a procedural maneuver that the Senate can do to avoid a filibuster. And as long as the bill is related to budgetary matters, fiscal matters, they are able to pass the legislation," he said.
"It limits the amount of time that can be spent debating it, and then they can pass it with just a bare majority of senators: 51."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has focused on advancing funding through traditional legislative channels, but Bevan said that position is softening.
"This was something that Thune was not totally enthusiastic about. But the longer this thing has gone on, the worse it's gotten," he said.
"It's obviously gaining traction within the Republican caucus."
President Donald Trump has pushed to tie Homeland Security funding to passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE America Act, making it a condition for resolving the standoff.
Bevan said including the measure in the legislation could be difficult.
"That might create some sort of issue if it's not fiscal and budgetary related, so I'd like to see more of the details of how they're going to go about this," he said.
"But certainly, reconciliation is a tool. That's how Obamacare passed back when they were debating the Affordable Care Act," Bevan continued.
"And so it's been used repeatedly. This would not be something that's sort of beyond the pale or out of the ordinary."
Senators on Tuesday raced to finalize a proposal to fund most of the Homeland Security Department while excluding enforcement and removal operations carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which are at the center of the dispute.
Thune called the discussions "positive and productive" and said most of DHS would be funded without major changes.
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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